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Local groups work together to donate books and backpacks.

JEFFERSON CITY – A Jefferson City company partnered with First Book to donate 500 backpacks and 1,500 books to local students.

Wipro Infocrossing employees boxed up backpacks with books to be sent to East Elementary School and the Jefferson City Boys & Girls Club.

Joel Walters, director of Missouri’s Department of Revenue, was there to help. He said giving books to children was a special moment for him.

“It really was a great experience, partly because I think books are so important and they’re so particularly important for our young people to position them for success,” Walters said. “You always feel really good when you’re working together to achieve something that you think is going to have an impact on someone else’s life.”

General Manager Ashish Kumar said Wipro has been working with First Book for more than two years.

“First Book is a non-for-profit organization, which has the mission to help kids who would not otherwise have access to books get access to books to read, and could get an interest in reading, which obviously, we believe will help improve their future,” he said.

Wipro also hosts reading events at East Elementary School, where employees read and give books to students. Wipro has been working with the school for the past two years.

This is the first time the company has worked with the Boys & Girls Club.

Wipro will hold the Wipro Cares Reading Celebration with the Boys & Girls Club on Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. The company will be at East Elementary School on Friday from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.